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Two Democratic presidential candidates differed little in their schemes for changing national education policy during a forum Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Before a polite but subdued crowd of about 200, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., called education the single most important issue in the presidential race.

Both supported strengthening early education, paying teachers more, focusing on math and science, providing more federal tuition assistance and overhauling the No Child Left Behind law.

Richardson said the federal government needs to step in if states, such as Nevada, aren't funding full-day kindergarten in all schools. Democrats in the Nevada Legislature have lost that fight for four years.

"Then the federal government -- I'm not saying has to take over -- but you've got to show some leadership," Richardson said.

Both candidates spoke about their education platforms after a panel of local and national experts debated measures the nation should take to ensure it is competitive in the global economy.

The forum was sponsored by the Brookings Institution and UNR through the Opportunity '08 project, designed to focus the presidential debate on substantive issues rather than horse-race politics.

They invited the four Democrats leading in national polls, but when only Richardson agreed to attend, they extended an invitation to Biden.

That no other candidates attended rankled Biden.

"It's a shame," he said. "We are cheating the American people."

Biden, married to an English teacher, proposed spending

$7 billion on early-education programs, funding the hiring of 100,000 teachers nationwide and increasing the Pell grant and tax credit for college tuition.

"I'm so sick of people telling me they value education," he said. "My father had a saying, 'Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I will tell you what you value'."

Both candidates found ways to slip in campaign messages apart from education. Biden started his 35-minute talk by saying he had came from "ordinary circumstances" and is "listed consistently as one of the four poorest men in Congress."

He also called the Iraq war a "major, major impediment to being able to deal with domestic concerns and agendas."

"Iraq is sort of like this big boulder sitting in the middle of the road," he said. "Until we settle Iraq, we will not regain our ability to lead in the world."

Richardson called for a constitutional amendment to balance the budget, saying presidents should be held to the same requirements as many governors.

"I got to balance the budget or I'm impeached," he said.

He also called for better tax incentives for industries that would be good for the country, such as renewable energy and biotechnology.

"The reality is that cutting taxes doesn't make jobs appear," said Liu, deputy director of the Brookings' Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. "Tax incentives are a very small part of what firms look at when they are opening or expanding in a new location."

Liu said the quality of the community's work force, the infrastructure and civic life matter more.

On education, Richardson called for a "minimum wage" of $40,000 for teachers, proposed creating 250 math and science institutions, and "scrapping" the No Child Left Behind Act.

Richardson repeatedly engaged the audience, asking an academically gifted student what she recommended to ensure others like her are successful and not bored in school.

When he asked the many college students in the audience if they would be willing to spend a year in "national service" in exchange for help paying off their student loans, they responded with some raised hands but no cheering.

"I don't see unbridled enthusiasm here," he said laughing. "We need to be more creative and bring back the spirit of John F. Kennedy where we're all doing something for our country."